Kongens Nytorv to Langelinie

Start: Kongens Nytorv.

Finish: Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid).

Time: 1 1/2 hours.

Best Time: Any sunny day.

Worst Times: Rush hours (weekdays 7:30-9am and 5-6:30pm).

Although the Nyhavn quarter, once a boisterous sailors' town, has quieted down, it's still a charming part of old Copenhagen, with its 1673 canal and 18th-century houses.

Begin at:

1. Kongens Nytorv--The "King's New Market" dates from 1680. It contains Magasin, the biggest department store in the capital, plus an equestrian statue of Christian IV.

On the northeast side of the square is:

2. Thott's Mansion--Completed in 1685 for a Danish naval hero and restored in 1760, it now houses the French Embassy. Between Bredgade and Store Strandstræde, a little street angling to the right near Nyhavn, is Kanneworff House, a beautifully preserved private home that dates from 1782. On the west side of the square, at no. 34, is the Hotel d'Angleterre, the best in Copenhagen. Also here is an old anchor memorializing the Danish seamen who died in the Second World War.

On the southeast side of the square stands the:

3. Royal Theater--Founded in 1748, the theater presents ballet, opera, and plays. Statues of famous Danish dramatists are out front. The present theater, constructed in 1874, has a neo-Renaissance style.

With your back to the Hotel d'Angleterre, walk toward the water along:

4. Nyhavn--Once filled with maritime businesses and seamen's bars and lodgings, Nyhavn is now restaurant row. First, walk along its north (left) side. In the summer, cafe tables border the canal, giving it a festive atmosphere. At the port end of the canal, you can see the Naval Dockyards, and Christianshavn across the harbor. High-speed craft come and go all day, connecting Copenhagen with Malmö, Sweden.

On the quieter (south) side of the canal, you can see:

5. Charlottenborg Palace--The style of the building, now the Danish Academy of Fine Arts, is pure baroque. The name comes from Queen Charlotte Amalie, who moved there in 1700. Beautiful old homes, antiques shops, and more restaurants line the southern bank. Nyhavn was the home of Hans Christian Andersen at various times. He lived at no. 20, where he wrote his first fairy tales, in 1835, and at no. 67 from 1845 to 1864. He spent the last 2 years of his life at no. 18, where he died in 1875.

Walk back to the harbor end of Nyhavn and turn left onto Kvæsthusgade, which will take you to:

6. Skt. Annæ Plads--Ferries depart for Oslo from this square. Many consulates, two hotels, and fine old buildings open onto it.

Walk inland along the plads and turn right onto Amaliegade, which leads under a colonnade into cobblestoned Amalienborg Plads, site of:

7. Amalienborg Palace--In the square's center is a statue of Frederik V. When the queen is in residence, the changing of the guard takes place here daily at noon. The palace is the official residence of the queen and her French prince, but sections of it are open to visitors. Four identical mansionlike palaces flank the square. The queen lives in the right wing, next to the colonnade.

Between the square and the harbor are the gardens of:

8. Amaliehavn--Among the most beautiful in Copenhagen, these gardens were laid out by Jean Delogne, who made lavish use of Danish granite and French limestone. The bronze pillars around the fountain were the work of Arnaldo Pomodoro, an Italian sculptor.

After viewing the waterfront gardens, walk away from the water, crossing Amalienborg Plads and emerging onto Frederiksgade. Continue along this short street until you reach:

9. Frederikskirke--This church is often called the Marmorkirken or "marble church." Construction began in 1740, but had to stop in 1770 because of the staggering costs. The church wasn't completed until 1894 -- using Danish marble instead of more expensive Norwegian marble. The church was modeled on and intended to rival St. Peter's in Rome; indeed, it ended up with one of the largest church domes in Europe. Supported on a dozen towering piers, the dome has a diameter of 108 feet.

Facing the church, turn right and head north along Bredgade, passing at no. 22 the:

10. Medicinsk-Historisk Museet (Medical History Museum)--The collection is gruesome, with aborted fetuses, dissected heads, and the like.

Take A Break--Before you approach The Little Mermaid, consider tea and a snack at Café Lumskebugten, Esplanaden 21 (tel. 33-15-60-29;. Dating from 1854, this cafe offers a cold plate served throughout the afternoon. There are five specialties: beef tartare, fish cakes with mustard sauce, marinated salmon, baked cod, and shrimp.

Bredgade ends at Esplanaden, which opens onto Churchillparken, a green belt bordering the water. Turn right and walk along Esplanaden until you come to Churchillparken and the:

11. Frihedsmuseet--The Danish Resistance museum commemorates the struggle against the Nazis from 1940 to 1945.

After leaving the museum, walk toward the water along Langelinie where signs point the way to:

12. The Little Mermaid--Perched on rocks just off the harbor bank, Den Lille Havfrue, the most photographed statue in Scandinavia, dates from 1913. The bronze figure, by Edvard Eriksen, was modeled after the figure of prima ballerina Ellen Price. In time, this much-attacked and abused statue became the symbol of Copenhagen.